October 4, 2021

Canada – SCID NBS advocacy, webinar and anniversary

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On August 5th, CIPO’s Volunteer and Family Services Co-ordinator, Erin Harder, did a record 9 radio interviews in 1 day! Erin spoke to CBC radio stations across Canada about the impact of the removal of public health restrictions and COVID on the immunodeficiency population. Listen to her interview with CBC Calgary

CIPO has been busy advocating the provincial government of British Columbia to include SCID into their Newborn Screening Program. BC is one of the last two provinces to not include SCID in their program. CIPO has met with the Provincial Health Minister’s office, launched a letter writing campaign for members in BC, and invited members to meet with their provincial members of legislature. Stay tuned!

We are very excited about our fall webinar series! CIPO’s fall webinar sessions will focus on Health. This was the first time that we charged for an educational event and we’ve done better than expected. We already held our first – Sinus Health. Next up, Hematological Disorders in PI.

We are busy planning for 2022 – CIPO’s 25th Anniversary! We invite everyone to join us in Ottawa for our first national conference and gala event. (agenda coming soon). 

CIPO launched Family Zone, a new program section for families affected by PI. Family Zone has a dedicated quarterly newsletter, special events for kids and families, parent support groups, webinars, Spotify playlists, and much more. We are especially excited to be planning our first ever family retreat in July 2022.